Ready to face no-confidence motion if oppn moves it: Shettar

Bangalore/Davanagere, Jan 27: Asserting that his government still enjoyed a majority even after 13 BJP MLAs announced their resignation, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar today said he is ready to face a no-confidence motion, if the opposition moves it.

"I have majority. There is no threat to the government. I am ready to face a no-confidence motion if the opposition moves it," he told reporters at Honnali, 60 km away from Davanagere in the presence of Excise Minister MP Renukacharya, a staunch Yedyurappa loyalist.

Shettar said he would be leaving for Delhi today to meet newly elected BJP President Rajnath Singh. The Shettar government's very survival is at stake after 13 MLAs loyal to Karnataka Janata Party chief and former BJP strongman BS Yeddyurappa announced their decision to quit assembly membership.

Their bid to submit their resignations to Speaker KG Bopaiah on Jan 23 was in vain as he was not in station, an issue over which they cried foul and petitioned Governor HR Bhardwaj to whom they submitted copies of resignation letters.

Bhardwaj had stated yesterday that the Shettar government still enjoyed a majority and as leader of the BJP legislature party, it was left to him to take action on the issue of resignation by 13 MLAs. Bopaiah, who is in Madikeri, will return to the city tomorrow.

Sources in the KJP said that apart from the 13 MLAs who are ready to quit their assembly membership, eight more are likely to join them.

But BJP leaders are engaged in hectic parleys to prevent them from resigning. The BJP wants to ensure that the budget session starting from February 4 passess off without any trouble.